Dante Pettis Is an Offensive Chess Piece

during the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28.

Not too long after he was hired as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, John Lynch stepped to the podium to introduce a large crop of free agent acquisitions. One of those additions was fullbackKyle Juszczyk. Lynch didn’t introduce Juszczyk as a fullback. Instead, he labeled the All-Pro as an offensive weapon, or an “O.W.” for short. Juszczyk’s versatility allowed Kyle Shanahan to take advantage of all sorts of mismatches throughout the year. Keeping the trend going, the second-round selection of wide receiver Dante Pettis gives Shanahan another offensive weapon in which to exploit matchups.

Despite this, there is no denying that Pettis will see significant slot snaps, though Shanahan will be clever about how he gets these snaps. A Marquise Goodwin24-yard reception against the Jacksonville Jaguars gives a blueprint. Goodwin motioned from the boundary into the slot, allowing for a favorable matchup with a boundary cornerback. Goodwin then ran a quick in-route for a nice gain. Allowing Pettis to get similar matchups with boundary cornerbacks in the slot will allow for his game-breaking skill to shine.

Pettis is not a typical red zone threat. One negative of his game is that his lean, 6’0” frame could get pushed around, especially near the end zone. In spite of this, Pettis had great success in the red zone. Of his 22 touchdown receptions for the Washington Huskies, 12 came within 20 yards of the end zone. His precision route running coupled with his insane acceleration make him a red zone threat, as he displayed in college.

Deep Threat

One of the traits that Shanahan covets in his wide receivers is speed. Taking deep shots are an integral part of Shanahan’s scheme. Also, receivers that possess top-end speed mandate attention down the field, and clear space for other receivers underneath. Goodwin is a prime example of how speed thrills under Shanahan.

Regardless of how fast he actually is, he played like a speed-demon at Washington. Throughout his collegiate career, he produced five touchdowns of longer than forty yards. He consistently showed an ability to get behind opposing defensive-backs, like with this large gain against Rutgers. Pettis’ speed can be used not only for large chunk gains, but to open up short routes for his fellow pass-catching teammates.

The Last Word

Overall, Pettis seems like the perfect fit for the 49ers. He has the skill set to win both on the boundary and in the slot. He also possesses the route running, quickness, and speed to make an impact deep down the field and in the red zone. The amount of havoc Shanahan could create with him should scare opposing defensive coordinators. Pettis could line up in multiple spots, be motioned around the field until he gets a favorable matchup, and then exploit said matchup. Much has been made of what exactly Shanahan wants in his wide receiver corps. Typically, Shanahan offenses have true do-it-all receivers, such as Julio Jones, Josh Gordon, and Andre Johnson. Dante Pettis appears to the next great receiver for which Shanahan gets to scheme.